Margarita Konovalova, a founding member of the Russian protest collective Pussy Riot, reported that she spent three years working as an informant for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). In an interview with lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov published by The Insider, Konovalova stated she was coerced into providing information on anti-war activists and artists to protect her family. She has since fled Russia with Zakhvatov's assistance.
Konovalova, who was jailed in 2020 following a protest near the Kremlin, said the FSB assigned her the codename "Harley." Her reported duties included monitoring the social circles, habits, and vulnerabilities of specific individuals, such as street artist Philipp Kozlov and fellow Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina. Konovalova claimed she attempted to sabotage these investigations during her three years of service to avoid causing harm to the targets.
In the summer of 2025, Konovalova alleged that FSB officers offered her approximately £11,000 to assist in a plot against Pyotr Verzilov, the founder of Mediazona. She stated she was instructed to lure Verzilov to Serbia to facilitate his kidnapping and murder. Instead of complying, she contacted Zakhvatov to coordinate her escape. The methods used to retrieve her passport from the FSB and cross the Russian border were not disclosed.
The scale of this activity involved at least one informant operating within a high-profile activist group over a three-year period. While the exact number of people compromised is not stated, Konovalova noted that she is one of several individuals who have been recruited, suggesting a broader pattern of surveillance. For activists, this means their day-to-day security protocols and trust in long-term associates are fundamentally altered. The reported offer of £11,000 (roughly $14,500) for a cross-border kidnapping attempt indicates the financial resources and geographic reach the FSB is alleged to employ in these operations.
This case sets a precedent for how activists might attempt to defect from state security control. Konovalova stated her goal in coming forward was to provide a "living example" for other informants seeking to leave the FSB. The knock-on effects include increased scrutiny of Russian exiles in countries like Serbia and a potential tightening of security by activist organizations. As most Pussy Riot members now live in exile following Russia's designation of the group as an extremist organization, these revelations may influence future diplomatic or security policies regarding the protection of dissidents abroad. The First Department, a legal rights group, continues to handle similar cases as more details of these operations emerge.